Doyou——nowIaskyouasamanandabrother——doyouthinkIcouldventuretothrowarockhereinanygivendirectionwithouthittingacaptainofthisship？"
"Well，sir，Idon'tknow——Ithinklikelyyou'dfetchthecaptainofthewatchmaybe，becausehe'sa—standingrightyonderintheway。"
Iwentbelow——meditatingandalittledownhearted。Ithought，iffivecookscanspoilabroth，whatmaynotfivecaptainsdowithapleasureexcursion？
Chapter4
Weplowedalongbravelyforaweekormore，andwithoutanyconflictofjurisdictionamongthecaptainsworthmentioning。Thepassengerssoonlearnedtoaccommodatethemselvestotheirnewcircumstances，andlifeintheshipbecamenearlyassystematicallymonotonousastheroutineofabarrack。Idonotmeanthatitwasdull，foritwasnotentirelysobyanymeans——buttherewasagooddealofsamenessaboutit。Asisalwaysthefashionatsea，thepassengersshortlybegantopickupsailorterms——asignthattheywerebeginningtofeelathome。Half—pastsixwasnolongerhalf—pastsixtothesepilgrimsfromNewEngland，theSouth，andtheMississippiValley，itwas"sevenbells";eight，twelve，andfouro'clockwere"eightbells";thecaptaindidnottakethelongitudeatnineo'clock，butat"twobells。"Theyspokegliblyofthe"aftercabin，"the"forrardcabin，"
"portandstarboard"andthe"fo'castle。"
Atsevenbellsthefirstgongrang;ateighttherewasbreakfast，forsuchaswerenottooseasicktoeatit。Afterthatallthewellpeoplewalkedarminarmupanddownthelongpromenadedeck，enjoyingthefinesummermornings，andtheseasickonescrawledoutandproppedthemselvesupintheleeofthepaddleboxesandatetheirdismalteaandtoast，andlookedwretched。Fromeleveno'clockuntilluncheon，andfromluncheonuntildinneratsixintheevening，theemploymentsandamusementswerevarious。Somereadingwasdone，andmuchsmokingandsewing，thoughnotbythesameparties;therewerethemonstersofthedeeptobelookedafterandwonderedat;strangeshipshadtobescrutinizedthroughoperaglasses，andsagedecisionsarrivedatconcerningthem;andmorethanthat，everybodytookapersonalinterestinseeingthattheflagwasrunupandpolitelydippedthreetimesinresponsetothesalutesofthosestrangers;inthesmokingroomtherewerealwayspartiesofgentlemenplayingeuchre，draughts，anddominoes，especiallydominoes，thatdelightfullyharmlessgame;anddownonthemaindeck，"forrard"——forrardofthechickencoopsandthecattle——wehadwhatwascalled"horsebilliards。"Horsebilliardsisafinegame。Itaffordsgood，activeexercise，hilarity，andconsumingexcitement。
Itisamixtureof"hopscotch"andshuffleboardplayedwithacrutch。A
largehopscotchdiagramismarkedoutonthedeckwithchalk，andeachcompartmentnumbered。Youstandoffthreeorfoursteps，withsomebroadwoodendisksbeforeyouonthedeck，andtheseyousendforwardwithavigorousthrustofalongcrutch。Ifadiskstopsonachalkline，itdoesnotcountanything。IfitstopsindivisionNo。7，itcounts7;in5，itcounts5，andsoon。Thegameis100，andfourcanplayatatime。Thatgamewouldbeverysimpleplayedonastationaryfloor，butwithus，toplayitwellrequiredscience。Wehadtoallowforthereelingoftheshiptotherightortheleft。Veryoftenonemadecalculationsforaheeltotherightandtheshipdidnotgothatway。Theconsequencewasthatthatdiskmissedthewholehopscotchplanayardortwo，andthentherewashumiliationononesideandlaughterontheother。
Whenitrainedthepassengershadtostayinthehouse，ofcourse——oratleastthecabins——andamusethemselveswithgames，reading，lookingoutofthewindowsattheveryfamiliarbillows，andtalkinggossip。
Byseveno'clockintheevening，dinnerwasaboutover;anhour'spromenadeontheupperdeckfollowed;thenthegongsoundedandalargemajorityofthepartyrepairedtotheaftercabin（upper），ahandsomesaloonfiftyorsixtyfeetlong，forprayers。Theunregeneratedcalledthissaloonthe"Synagogue。"ThedevotionsconsistedonlyoftwohymnsfromthePlymouthCollectionandashortprayer，andseldomoccupiedmorethanfifteenminutes。Thehymnswereaccompaniedbyparlor—organmusicwhentheseawassmoothenoughtoallowaperformertositattheinstrumentwithoutbeinglashedtohischair。
AfterprayerstheSynagogueshortlytookthesemblanceofawritingschool。Thelikeofthatpicturewasneverseeninashipbefore。Behindthelongdiningtablesoneithersideofthesaloon，andscatteredfromoneendtotheotherofthelatter，sometwentyorthirtygentlemenandladiessatthemdownundertheswayinglampsandfortwoorthreehourswrotediligentlyintheirjournals。Alasthatjournalssovoluminouslybegunshouldcometosolameandimpotentaconclusionasmostofthemdid！Idoubtifthereisasinglepilgrimofallthathostbutcanshowahundredfairpagesofjournalconcerningthefirsttwentydays'voyagingintheQuakerCity，andIammorallycertainthatnottenofthepartycanshowtwentypagesofjournalforthesucceedingtwentythousandmilesofvoyaging！Atcertainperiodsitbecomesthedearestambitionofamantokeepafaithfulrecordofhisperformancesinabook;
andhedashesatthisworkwithanenthusiasmthatimposesonhimthenotionthatkeepingajournalistheveriestpastimeintheworld，andthepleasantest。
Butifheonlylivestwenty—onedays，hewillfindoutthatonlythoserarenaturesthataremadeupofpluck，endurance，devotiontodutyforduty'ssake，andinvincibledeterminationmayhopetoventureuponsotremendousanenterpriseasthekeepingofajournalandnotsustainashamefuldefeat。
Oneofourfavoriteyouths，Jack，asplendidyoungfellowwithaheadfullofgoodsense，andapairoflegsthatwereawondertolookuponinthewayoflengthandstraightnessandslimness，usedtoreportprogresseverymorninginthemostglowingandspiritedway，andsay:
"Oh，I'mcomingalongbully！"（Hewasalittlegiventoslanginhishappiermoods。）"Iwrotetenpagesinmyjournallastnight——andyouknowIwroteninethenightbeforeandtwelvethenightbeforethat。Why，it'sonlyfun！"
"Whatdoyoufindtoputinit，Jack？"
"Oh，everything。Latitudeandlongitude，nooneveryday;andhowmanymileswemadelasttwenty—fourhours;andallthedominogamesIbeatandhorsebilliards;andwhalesandsharksandporpoises;andthetextofthesermonSundays（becausethat'lltellathome，youknow）;andtheshipswesalutedandwhatnationtheywere;andwhichwaythewindwas，andwhethertherewasaheavysea，andwhatsailwecarried，thoughwedon'tevercarryany，principally，goingagainstaheadwindalways——wonderwhatisthereasonofthat？——andhowmanyliesMoulthastold——oh，everything！I'vegoteverythingdown。Myfathertoldmetokeepthatjournal。Fatherwouldn'ttakeathousanddollarsforitwhenIgetitdone。"
"No，Jack;itwillbeworthmorethanathousanddollars——whenyougetitdone。"
"Doyou？No，butdoyouthinkitwill，though？"
"Yes，itwillbeworthatleastasmuchasathousanddollars——whenyougetitdone。Maybemore。"
"Well，Iabouthalfthinkso，myself。Itain'tnoslouchofajournal。"
Butitshortlybecameamostlamentable"slouchofajournal。"OnenightinParis，afterahardday'stoilinsightseeing，Isaid:
"NowI'llgoandstrollaroundthecafésawhile，Jack，andgiveyouachancetowriteupyourjournal，oldfellow。"
Hiscountenancelostitsfire。Hesaid:
"Well，no，youneedn'tmind。IthinkIwon'trunthatjournalanymore。
Itisawfultedious。Doyouknow——IreckonI'masmuchasfourthousandpagesbehindhand。Ihaven'tgotanyFranceinitatall。FirstIthoughtI'dleaveFranceoutandstartfresh。Butthatwouldn'tdo，wouldit？
Thegovernorwouldsay，'Hello，here——didn'tseeanythinginFrance？Thatcatwouldn'tfight，youknow。FirstIthoughtI'dcopyFranceoutoftheguidebook，likeoldBadgerintheforrardcabin，who'swritingabook，butthere'smorethanthreehundredpagesofit。Oh，Idon'tthinkajournal'sanyuse———doyou？They'reonlyabother，ain'tthey？"
"Yes，ajournalthatisincompleteisn'tofmuchuse，butajournalproperlykeptisworthathousanddollars——whenyou'vegotitdone。"
"Athousand！——well，Ishouldthinkso。Iwouldn'tfinishitforamillion。"
Hisexperiencewasonlytheexperienceofthemajorityofthatindustriousnightschoolinthecabin。Ifyouwishtoinflictaheartlessandmalignantpunishmentuponayoungperson，pledgehimtokeepajournalayear。
Agoodmanyexpedientswereresortedtotokeeptheexcursionistsamusedandsatisfied。Aclubwasformed，ofallthepassengers，whichmetinthewritingschoolafterprayersandreadaloudaboutthecountrieswewereapproachinganddiscussedtheinformationsoobtained。
Severaltimesthephotographeroftheexpeditionbroughtouthistransparentpicturesandgaveusahandsomemagic—lanternexhibition。Hisviewswerenearlyallofforeignscenes，buttherewereoneortwohomepicturesamongthem。Headvertisedthathewould"openhisperformanceintheaftercabinat'twobells'（nineP。M。）andshowthepassengerswheretheyshalleventuallyarrive"——whichwasallverywell，butbyafunnyaccidentthefirstpicturethatflamedoutuponthecanvaswasaviewofGreenwoodCemetery！
Onseveralstarlightnightswedancedontheupperdeck，undertheawnings，andmadesomethingofaballroomdisplayofbrilliancybyhanginganumberofship'slanternstothestanchions。Ourmusicconsistedofthewell—mixedstrainsofamelodeonwhichwasalittleasthmaticandapttocatchitsbreathwhereitoughttocomeoutstrong，aclarinetwhichwasalittleunreliableonthehighkeysandrathermelancholyonthelowones，andadisreputableaccordionthathadaleaksomewhereandbreathedlouderthanitsquawked——amoreeleganttermdoesnotoccurtomejustnow。However，thedancingwasinfinitelyworsethanthemusic。Whentheshiprolledtostarboardthewholeplatoonofdancerscamechargingdowntostarboardwithit，andbroughtupinmassattherail;andwhenitrolledtoporttheywentflounderingdowntoportwiththesameunanimityofsentiment。
Waltzersspunaroundprecariouslyforamatteroffifteensecondsandthenwentscurryingdowntotherailasiftheymeanttogooverboard。TheVirginiareel，asperformedonboardtheQuakerCity，hadmoregenuinereelaboutitthananyreelIeversawbefore，andwasasfullofinteresttothespectatorasitwasfullofdesperatechancesandhairbreadthescapestotheparticipant。Wegaveupdancing，finally。
Wecelebratedalady'sbirthdayanniversarywithtoasts，speeches，apoem，andsoforth。Wealsohadamocktrial。Noshipeverwenttoseathathadn'tamocktrialonboard。ThepurserwasaccusedofstealinganovercoatfromstateroomNo。10。Ajudgewasappointed;alsoclerks，acrierofthecourt，constables，sheriffs;counselfortheStateandforthedefendant;
witnessesweresubpoenaed，andajuryempaneledaftermuchchallenging。
Thewitnesseswerestupidandunreliableandcontradictory，aswitnessesalwaysare。Thecounselwereeloquent，argumentative，andvindictivelyabusiveofeachother，aswascharacteristicandproper。Thecasewasatlastsubmittedanddulyfinishedbythejudgewithanabsurddecisionandaridiculoussentence。
Theactingofcharadeswastriedonseveraleveningsbytheyounggentlemenandladies，inthecabins，andprovedthemostdistinguishedsuccessofalltheamusementexperiments。
Anattemptwasmadetoorganizeadebatingclub，butitwasafailure。
Therewasnooratoricaltalentintheship。
Weallenjoyedourselves——IthinkIcansafelysaythat，butitwasinaratherquietway。Wevery，veryseldomplayedthepiano;weplayedthefluteandtheclarinettogether，andmadegoodmusic，too，whattherewasofit，butwealwaysplayedthesameoldtune;itwasaveryprettytune——howwellIrememberit——IwonderwhenIshallevergetridofit。
Weneverplayedeitherthemelodeonortheorganexceptatdevotions——butIamtoofast:youngAlbertdidknowpartofatunesomethingabout"OSomething—or—OtherHowSweetItIstoKnowThatHe'sHisWhat's—His—Name"
（Idonotremembertheexacttitleofit，butitwasveryplaintiveandfullofsentiment）;Albertplayedthatprettymuchallthetimeuntilwecontractedwithhimtorestrainhimself。Butnobodyeversangbymoonlightontheupperdeck，andthecongregationalsingingatchurchandprayerswasnotofasuperiororderofarchitecture。IputupwithitaslongasIcouldandthenjoinedinandtriedtoimproveit，butthisencouragedyoungGeorgetojoinintoo，andthatmadeafailureofit;becauseGeorge'svoicewasjust"turning，"andwhenhewassingingadismalsortofbassitwasapttoflyoffthehandleandstartleeverybodywithamostdiscordantcackleontheuppernotes。Georgedidn'tknowthetunes，either，whichwasalsoadrawbacktohisperformances。Isaid:
"Come，now，George，don'timprovise。Itlookstooegotistical。
Itwillprovokeremark。Juststickto'Coronation，'liketheothers。Itisagoodtune——youcan'timproveitany，justoffhand，inthisway。"
"Why，I'mnottryingtoimproveit——andIamsingingliketheothers——justasitisinthenotes。"
Andhehonestlythoughthewas，too;andsohehadnoonetoblamebuthimselfwhenhisvoicecaughtonthecenteroccasionallyandgavehimthelockjaw。
Therewerethoseamongtheunregeneratedwhoattributedtheunceasingheadwindstoourdistressingchoirmusic。Therewerethosewhosaidopenlythatitwastakingchancesenoughtohavesuchghastlymusicgoingon，evenwhenitwasatitsbest;andthattoexaggeratethecrimebylettingGeorgehelpwassimplyflyinginthefaceofProvidence。Thesesaidthatthechoirwouldkeepuptheirlaceratingattemptsatmelodyuntiltheywouldbringdownastormsomedaythatwouldsinktheship。
Therewereevengrumblersattheprayers。Theexecutiveofficersaidthepilgrimshadnocharity:
"Theretheyare，downthereeverynightat。eightbells，prayingforfairwinds——whentheyknowaswellasIdothatthisistheonlyshipgoingeastthistimeoftheyear，butthere'sathousandcomingwest——what'safairwindforusisaheadwindtothem——theAlmighty'sblowingafairwindforathousandvessels，andthistribewantshimtoturnitcleararoundsoastoaccommodateone——andsheasteamshipatthat！
Itain'tgoodsense，itain'tgoodreason，itain'tgoodChristianity，itain'tcommonhumancharity。Avastwithsuchnonsense！"
Chapter5
Takingit"byandlarge，"asthesailorssay，wehadapleasanttendays'runfromNewYorktotheAzoresislands——notafastrun，forthedistanceisonlytwenty—fourhundredmiles，butarightpleasantoneinthemain。True，wehadheadwindsallthetime，andseveralstormyexperienceswhichsentfiftypercentofthepassengerstobedsickandmadetheshiplookdismalanddeserted——stormyexperiencesthatallwillrememberwhoweatheredthemonthetumblingdeckandcaughtthevastsheetsofspraythateverynowandthenspranghighinairfromtheweatherbowandswepttheshiplikeathundershower;butforthemostpartwehadbalmysummerweatherandnightsthatwereevenfinerthanthedays。Wehadthephenomenonofafullmoonlocatedjustinthesamespotintheheavensatthesamehoureverynight。Thereasonofthissingularconductonthepartofthemoondidnotoccurtousatfirst，butitdidafterwardwhenwereflectedthatweweregainingabouttwentyminuteseverydaybecauseweweregoingeastsofast——wegainedjustaboutenougheverydaytokeepalongwiththemoon。Itwasbecominganoldmoontothefriendswehadleftbehindus，buttousJoshuasitstoodstillinthesameplaceandremainedalwaysthesame。
YoungMr。Blucher，whoisfromtheFarWestandisonhisfirstvoyage，wasagooddealworriedbytheconstantlychanging"shiptime。"Hewasproudofhisnewwatchatfirstandusedtodragitoutpromptlywheneightbellsstruckatnoon，buthecametolookafterawhileasifhewerelosingconfidenceinit。SevendaysoutfromNewYorkhecameondeckandsaidwithgreatdecision:
"Thisthing'saswindle！"
"What'saswindle？"
"Why，thiswatch。IboughtheroutinIllinois——gave$150forher——andIthoughtshewasgood。And，byGeorge，sheisgoodonshore，butsomehowshedon'tkeepupherlickhereonthewater——getsseasickmaybe。
Sheskips;sherunsalongregularenoughtillhalf—pasteleven，andthen，allofasudden，sheletsdown。I'vesetthatoldregulatorupfasterandfaster，tillI'veshoveditcleararound，butitdon'tdoanygood;shejustdistanceseverywatchintheship，andclattersalonginawaythat'sastonishingtillitisnoon，butthemeightbellsalwaysgetsinabouttenminutesaheadofheranyway。Idon'tknowwhattodowithhernow。
She'sdoingallshecan——she'sgoingherbestgait，butitwon'tsaveher。
Now，don'tyouknow，thereain'tawatchintheshipthat'smakingbettertimethansheis，butwhatdoesitsignify？Whenyouhearthemeightbellsyou'llfindherjustabouttenminutesshortofherscoresure。"
Theshipwasgainingafullhoureverythreedays，andthisfellowwastryingtomakehiswatchgofastenoughtokeepuptoher。But，ashehadsaid，hehadpushedtheregulatorupasfarasitwouldgo，andthewatchwas"onitsbestgait，"andsonothingwaslefthimbuttofoldhishandsandseetheshipbeattherace。Wesenthimtothecaptain，andheexplainedtohimthemysteryof"shiptime"andsethistroubledmindatrest。Thisyoungmanaskedagreatmanyquestionsaboutseasicknessbeforeweleft，andwantedtoknowwhatitscharacteristicswereandhowhewastotellwhenhehadit。Hefoundout。
Wesawtheusualsharks，blackfish，porpoises，etc。，ofcourse，andbyandbylargeschoolsofPortuguesemen—of—warwereaddedtotheregularlistofseawonders。Someofthemwerewhiteandsomeofabrilliantcarminecolor。Thenautilusisnothingbutatransparentwebofjellythatspreadsitselftocatchthewind，andhasfleshy—lookingstringsafootortwolongdanglingfromittokeepitsteadyinthewater。Itisanaccomplishedsailorandhasgoodsailorjudgment。Itreefsitssailwhenastormthreatensorthewindblowsprettyhard，andfurlsitentirelyandgoesdownwhenagaleblows。Ordinarilyitkeepsitssailwetandingoodsailingorderbyturningoveranddippingitinthewaterforamoment。Seamensaythenautilusisonlyfoundinthesewatersbetweenthethirty—fifthandforty—fifthparallelsoflatitude。
Atthreeo'clockonthemorningofthetwenty—firstofJune，wewereawakenedandnotifiedthattheAzoresislandswereinsight。IsaidIdidnottakeanyinterestinislandsatthreeo'clockinthemorning。Butanotherpersecutorcame，andthenanotherandanother，andfinallybelievingthatthegeneralenthusiasmwouldpermitnoonetoslumberinpeace，Igotupandwentsleepilyondeck。Itwasfiveandahalfo'clocknow，andaraw，blusteringmorning。Thepassengerswerehuddledaboutthesmokestacksandfortifiedbehindventilators，andallwerewrappedinwintrycostumesandlookingsleepyandunhappyinthepitilessgaleandthedrenchingspray。
TheislandinsightwasFlores。Itseemedonlyamountainofmudstandingupoutofthedullmistsofthesea。Butasweboredownuponitthesuncameoutandmadeitabeautifulpicture——amassofgreenfarmsandmeadowsthatswelleduptoaheightoffifteenhundredfeetandmingleditsupperoutlineswiththeclouds。Itwasribbedwithsharp，steepridgesandclovenwithnarrowcanyons，andhereandthereontheheights，rockyupheavalsshapedthemselvesintomimicbattlementsandcastles;andoutofriftedcloudscamebroadshaftsofsunlightthatpaintedsummitandslopeandglenwithbandsoffireandleftbeltsofsombershadebetween。Itwastheauroraborealisofthefrozenpoleexiledtoasummerland！
Weskirtedaroundtwo—thirdsoftheisland，fourmilesfromshore，andalltheoperaglassesintheshipwerecalledintorequisitiontosettledisputesastowhethermossyspotsontheuplandsweregrovesoftreesorgrovesofweeds，orwhetherthewhitevillagesdownbytheseawerereallyvillagesoronlytheclusteringtombstonesofcemeteries。FinallywestoodtoseaandboreawayforSanMiguel，andFloresshortlybecameadomeofmudagainandsankdownamongthemists，anddisappeared。Buttomanyaseasickpassengeritwasgoodtoseethegreenhillsagain，andallweremorecheerfulafterthisepisodethananybodycouldhaveexpectedthemtobe，consideringhowsinfullyearlytheyhadgottenup。
ButwehadtochangeourpurposeaboutSanMiguel，forastormcameupaboutnoonthatsotossedandpitchedthevesselthatcommonsensedictatedarunforshelter。Thereforewesteeredforthenearestislandofthegroup——Fayal（thepeopletherepronounceitFy—all，andputtheaccentonthefirstsyllable）。WeanchoredintheopenroadsteadofHorta，halfamilefromtheshore。Thetownhaseightthousandtotenthousandinhabitants。Itssnow—whitehousesnestlecosilyinaseaoffreshgreenvegetation，andnovillagecouldlookprettierormoreattractive。Itsitsinthelapofanamphitheaterofhillswhicharethreehundredtosevenhundredfeethigh，andcarefullycultivatedcleartotheirsummits——notafootofsoilleftidle。Everyfarmandeveryacreiscutupintolittlesquareenclosuresbystonewalls，whosedutyitistoprotectthegrowingproductsfromthedestructivegalesthatblowthere。Thesehundredsofgreensquares，markedbytheirblacklavawalls，makethehillslooklikevastcheckerboards。
TheislandsbelongtoPortugal，andeverythinginFayalhasPortuguesecharacteristicsaboutit。Butmoreofthatanon。Aswarmofswarthy，noisy，lying，shoulder—shrugging，gesticulatingPortugueseboatmen，withbrassringsintheirearsandfraudintheirhearts，climbedtheship'ssides，andvariouspartiesofuscontractedwiththemtotakeusashoreatsomuchahead，silvercoinofanycountry。Welandedunderthewallsofalittlefort，armedwithbatteriesoftwelve—andthirty—two—pounders，whichHortaconsideredamostformidableinstitution，butifwewereevertogetafteritwithoneofourturretedmonitors，theywouldhavetomoveitoutinthecountryiftheywanteditwheretheycouldgoandfinditagainwhentheyneededit。Thegrouponthepierwasarustyone——menandwomen，andboysandgirls，allraggedandbarefoot，uncombedandunclean，andbyinstinct，education，andprofessionbeggars。Theytroopedafterus，andnevermorewhilewetarriedinFayaldidwegetridofthem。Wewalkedupthemiddleoftheprincipalstreet，andtheseverminsurroundedusonallsidesandglareduponus;andeverymomentexcitedcouplesshotaheadoftheprocessiontogetagoodlookback，justasvillageboysdowhentheyaccompanytheelephantonhisadvertisingtripfromstreettostreet。Itwasveryflatteringtometobepartofthematerialforsuchasensation。HereandthereinthedoorwayswesawwomenwithfashionablePortuguesehoodson。Thishoodisofthickbluecloth，attachedtoacloakofthesamestuff，andisamarvelofugliness。Itstandsuphighandspreadsfarabroad，andisunfathomablydeep。Itfitslikeacircustent，andawoman'sheadishiddenawayinitliketheman'swhopromptsthesingersfromhistinshedinthestageofanopera。Thereisnoparticleoftrimmingaboutthismonstrouscapote，astheycallit——itisjustaplain，uglydead—bluemassofsail，andawomancan'tgowithineightpointsofthewindwithoneofthemon;shehastogobeforethewindornotatall。
Thegeneralstyleofthecapoteisthesameinalltheislands，andwillremainsoforthenexttenthousandyears，buteachislandshapesitscapotesjustenoughdifferentlyfromtheotherstoenableanobservertotellataglancewhatparticularislandaladyhailsfrom。
ThePortuguesepennies，orreis（pronouncedrays），areprodigious。Ittakesonethousandreistomakeadollar，andallfinancialestimatesaremadeinreis。WedidnotknowthisuntilafterwehadfounditoutthroughBlucher。Bluchersaidhewassohappyandsogratefultobeonsolidlandoncemorethathewantedtogiveafeast——saidhehadhearditwasacheapland，andhewasboundtohaveagrandbanquet。Heinvitednineofus，andweateanexcellentdinnerattheprincipalhotel。Inthemidstofthejollityproducedbygoodcigars，goodwine，andpassableanecdotes，thelandlordpresentedhisbill。Blucherglancedatitandhiscountenancefell。Hetookanotherlooktoassurehimselfthathissenseshadnotdeceivedhimandthenreadtheitemsaloud，inafalteringvoice，whiletherosesinhischeeksturnedtoashes:
"'Tendinners，at600reis，6，000reis！'Ruinanddesolation！
"'Twenty—fivecigars，at100reis，2，500reis！'Oh，mysaintedmother！
"'Elevenbottlesofwine，at1，200reis，13，200reis！'Bewithusall！
"'TOTAL，TWENTY—ONETHOUSANDSEVENHUNDREDREIS！'ThesufferingMoses！
Thereain'tmoneyenoughintheshiptopaythatbill！Go——leavemetomymisery，boys，Iamaruinedcommunity。"
Ithinkitwastheblankest—lookingpartyIeversaw。Nobodycouldsayaword。Itwasasifeverysoulhadbeenstrickendumb。Wineglassesdescendedslowlytothetable，theircontentsuntasted。Cigarsdroppedunnoticedfromnervelessfingers。Eachmansoughthisneighbor'seye，butfoundinitnorayofhope，noencouragement。Atlastthefearfulsilencewasbroken。
TheshadowofadesperateresolvesettleduponBlucher'scountenancelikeacloud，andheroseupandsaid:
"Landlord，thisisalow，meanswindle，andI'llnever，neverstandit。Here'sahundredandfiftydollars，Sir，andit'sallyou'llget——I'llswiminbloodbeforeI'llpayacentmore。"
Ourspiritsroseandthelandlord'sfell——atleastwethoughtso;hewasconfused，atanyrate，notwithstandinghehadnotunderstoodawordthathadbeensaid。HeglancedfromthelittlepileofgoldpiecestoBlucherseveraltimesandthenwentout。HemusthavevisitedanAmerican，forwhenhereturned，hebroughtbackhisbilltranslatedintoalanguagethataChristiancouldunderstand——thus:10dinners，6，000reis，or$6。00
25cigars，2，500reis，or2。50
11bottleswine，13，200reis，or13。20Total21，700reis，or$21。70HappinessreignedoncemoreinBlucher'sdinnerparty。Morerefreshmentswereordered。
Chapter6
IthinktheAzoresmustbeverylittleknowninAmerica。Outofourwholeship'scompanytherewasnotasolitaryindividualwhoknewanythingwhateveraboutthem。Someoftheparty，wellreadconcerningmostotherlands，hadnootherinformationabouttheAzoresthanthattheywereagroupofnineortensmallislandsfaroutintheAtlantic，somethingmorethanhalfwaybetweenNewYorkandGibraltar。Thatwasall。Theseconsiderationsmovemetoputinaparagraphofdryfactsjusthere。
ThecommunityiseminentlyPortuguese——thatistosay，itisslow，poor，shiftless，sleepy，andlazy。Thereisacivilgovernor，appointedbytheKingofPortugal，andalsoamilitarygovernor，whocanassumesupremecontrolandsuspendthecivilgovernmentathispleasure。Theislandscontainapopulationofabout200，000，almostentirelyPortuguese。Everythingisstaidandsettled，forthecountrywasonehundredyearsoldwhenColumbusdiscoveredAmerica。Theprincipalcropiscorn，andtheyraiseitandgrinditjustastheirgreat—great—great—grandfathersdid。Theyplowwithaboardslightlyshodwithiron;theirtriflinglittleharrowsaredrawnbymenandwomen;smallwindmillsgrindthecorn，tenbushelsaday，andthereisoneassistantsuperintendenttofeedthemillandageneralsuperintendenttostandbyandkeephimfromgoingtosleep。Whenthewindchangestheyhitchonsomedonkeysandactuallyturnthewholeupperhalfofthemillarounduntilthesailsareinproperposition，insteadoffixingtheconcernsothatthesailscouldbemovedinsteadofthemill。Oxentreadthewheatfromtheear，afterthefashionprevalentinthetimeofMethuselah。Thereisnotawheelbarrowintheland——theycarryeverythingontheirheads，orondonkeys，orinawicker—bodiedcart，whosewheelsaresolidblocksofwoodandwhoseaxlesturnwiththewheel。Thereisnotamodernplowintheislandsorathreshingmachine。Allattemptstointroducethemhavefailed。ThegoodCatholicPortuguesecrossedhimselfandprayedGodtoshieldhimfromallblasphemousdesiretoknowmorethanhisfatherdidbeforehim。Theclimateismild;theyneverhavesnoworice，andIsawnochimneysinthetown。Thedonkeysandthemen，women，andchildrenofafamilyalleatandsleepinthesameroom，andareunclean，areravagedbyvermin，andaretrulyhappy。Thepeoplelie，andcheatthestranger，andaredesperatelyignorant，andhavehardlyanyreverencefortheirdead。
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